BERLIN — The World Health Organization’s Europe director says people must remain vigilant and keep taking basic precautions ahead of the prospect of a coronavirus vaccine.

Dr. Hans Kluge says, “the virus still has the potential to do enormous damage unless we do everything in our power to stop its spread.” He adds the promise of vaccines is “phenomenal” and it’s essential for countries to have a distribution plan.

He notes in the beginning, vaccine supplies will be limited and “it is imperative that we continue to practice basic protective behaviors such as mask-wearing.”

Europe has had a surge of infections this fall, with many countries imposing new shutdowns. Kluge says while the number of new cases reported in Europe declined for the third consecutive week, the region still accounts for 40% of new global cases.